Grant85
Head Pro
If I was playing regularly and much more consistent ball striker I might consider blades for the shorter irons.
May help in windy conditions a bit as well.
May help in windy conditions a bit as well.
Why Blades
- Thread starter oo7ml
- Start date
Now that made me chuckle
Spear-Chucker
Tour Rookie
I love blades and have played them for 25 years but even I’d admit they don’t make much sense until you get to the 7 iron and down. After that, the feel and workability is great to play around with. Try CB’s every now and again and I’m hopeless with them - poor strike, no feel... but that’s definitely a daft personal thing.
Crow
Crow Person
I'm crap but I'll never go back to CBs.
Half a dozen reasons to play blades:
Half a dozen reasons to play blades:
srixon 1
Journeyman Pro
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
I like blades. I grew up playing blades. To me, that is what a golf club should look like.
I have some nice blades, but am currently experimenting with some jpx900 tours, which although close to blades in appearance, are not really.
Good enough to play them? Don't really care. Just like the way they look.
I have some nice blades, but am currently experimenting with some jpx900 tours, which although close to blades in appearance, are not really.
Good enough to play them? Don't really care. Just like the way they look.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
When I first started to play golf you could only buy cavity back clubs if you had very deep pockets and blades were the norm in the cheaper end of the market. I quickly learnt to be fairly consistent ball striker in terms of where I hit the ball on the club face.
I only switched to CBs about 20 years later when I was no longer able to spend hour upon hour on the practice ground but they fairly quickly got switched back to a club which had more of a blade look and style but with a fair degree of forgiveness (Nicklaus N1) . For me my faults are mainly about poor swing path rather than where I hit the ball on the club face so a bad shot would be bad with either type of club.
These days I still play a type of blade in my short irons (7 downwards) simply because I like the look of what I see when I look down on the club ie a relatively small head with a thin top line. I am happy to pay play a cavity in mid irons but still look for a thin top line, the long irons have been switched to rescues.
I only switched to CBs about 20 years later when I was no longer able to spend hour upon hour on the practice ground but they fairly quickly got switched back to a club which had more of a blade look and style but with a fair degree of forgiveness (Nicklaus N1) . For me my faults are mainly about poor swing path rather than where I hit the ball on the club face so a bad shot would be bad with either type of club.
These days I still play a type of blade in my short irons (7 downwards) simply because I like the look of what I see when I look down on the club ie a relatively small head with a thin top line. I am happy to pay play a cavity in mid irons but still look for a thin top line, the long irons have been switched to rescues.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
Hi,
/ distance outweighs the control /
I’m clearly missing some other important aspect so I look forward to a better understanding and explanation from someone else, thanks
That is one statement I would totally disagree with. There is no point in lading a ball on a green from far away only to see it land and run out the back of the green.
The game is about how many rather than how and a single putt counts the same as a 300 yard drive. So for me my choice of irons comes down to how close to the hole can I get the ball to stop.
It is for the same reason that I choose a ball with maximum control rather than maximum distance.
Britishshooting
Club Champion
I went from AP2's to blades and glad I did. I focus much more and hitting them pure is a joy.
I tried out the new AP3 that a friend had and the 7 iron flew much farther than my mb's but that is not what I want. I also noticed from about 5 shots the distance varied by about 10-15 yards with some that came off the face very hot.
I carry my MB 7 iron about 175-180 which is more than enough and it's consistent infact so consistent I took this video on top tracer, you can see my previous two shots with the 5 iron and they're almost identical with my MB's thats why I own blades consistency and ideal yardage.
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" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I tried out the new AP3 that a friend had and the 7 iron flew much farther than my mb's but that is not what I want. I also noticed from about 5 shots the distance varied by about 10-15 yards with some that came off the face very hot.
I carry my MB 7 iron about 175-180 which is more than enough and it's consistent infact so consistent I took this video on top tracer, you can see my previous two shots with the 5 iron and they're almost identical with my MB's thats why I own blades consistency and ideal yardage.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
Curls
Journeyman Pro
Haha, the reason I started this post was because I fell in love with TaylorMades new black blades... however I promised myself I would not get caught up in changing equipment every time I see or hear of a new driver, putter or set of irons
He'll be lucky if he doesn't get an infraction
Get the shiney things. You know that's why you came here
Ive got Mizuno Mp4 blades and TBH i hit those as good if not better than the Gi clubs i had before (JPX825Pro)
I suppose, High and straight is great for most and thats what you get from CB and GI clubs. I quite like the fact i can shape the ball easier with the blades, plus you get a consistent distance, which was no always the case when i had the GI clubs. I also find it easier to hit small headed clubs compared to GI irons.
I suppose, High and straight is great for most and thats what you get from CB and GI clubs. I quite like the fact i can shape the ball easier with the blades, plus you get a consistent distance, which was no always the case when i had the GI clubs. I also find it easier to hit small headed clubs compared to GI irons.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
has me thinking I might just have a go tonight at hitting this little beauty. I've not tried for 25yrs. (sorry picture so big...)
Capella
Journeyman Pro
I guess it is a bit like driving a convertible. Rarely a sensible choice, but it looks and feels nice.
Britishshooting
Club Champion
I don't agree, I'd liken it more to a supercar.
In capable hands it outperforms however in the wrong hands it can go wrong quickly. I've noticed a significant improvement since changing from AP2's to Titleist MB's.
- Better ball flight
- More appealing at address which builds my confidence
- Consistent distances
- I also seem to hit them much straighter and attack pins moreso the previously mainly I believe because of ballooning ball flight previously.
This is a strange one but I can visualise shots so much better with blades, I visualise my shot and I play it to my best, I couldn't with GI clubs, the ball flight is just HIGHHH and I can't build up the mental image. With GI irons and even ap2'S which are considered players irons to a degree I seem to pull a lot left also.
Everybody loves the look of blades but in terms of functionality they either suit you or don't, I do think blades are demonised though. Every time Rick Shiels tests blades he makes sweeping statements about them only being for Adam Scott etc. and then he pures every shot and is astonished.
Don't knock it before you try it.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
I had a set of those for one round. Bought off ebay for a song because I simply had to try them.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Really loved my Dunlop Australian Maxfli blades, Slazenger B51 and Ben Sayers "Ray Floyd" sets were lovely clubs in the day and I enjoyed hitting each of them and had success with each set. I still have my persimmon 3 wood and have hit it periodically but it's so foreign compared to the assistance and distance/control on offer these days. I'd rather use the forgiveness and distance I can get these days and make life as easy as possible for myself.
Foxholer
Blackballed
Vanity is certainly one of the compelling reasons to use Blades! And I certain;ly prepared to plead 'Guilty' of that reason.
The concept of 'shaping' shots better with blades is vastly over-rated imo. I believe I can shape shots (well, only a cut) more consistently with CBs than I can with blades!
These days, I'm quite happy, as a pretty good ball-striker, to use 'players CBs', though I do have a (great) set of Combos (7-PW are blades) that I deag out from time to time. The feel off the blades is hard to beat, but a small deviation from perfect can affect distance dramatically! And while blades might work almost all year round on links courses, where the rough flattens in Winter, Parkland courses can be a disaster area for blades in Winter - the longish damp rough grass exposes the 'deficiencies' of blades very badly!
If you look at the World's top players, a decreasing number are playing blades, and then often (like Rory) from something like 5-iron down.
All tht said, there's still something magic about a well struck shot with a blade. Having had a few conversations in the clubhouse about the comparitive merits, I bought a set of TP-9s cheaply from the original AG in Warrington, to practice with, when I ws working there. After the first strike I thought 'H'mm that felt very nice!' and by the 3rd, I was hooked on that feel!
Nowadays, the main thought is 'Why make a hard game harder?'!
The concept of 'shaping' shots better with blades is vastly over-rated imo. I believe I can shape shots (well, only a cut) more consistently with CBs than I can with blades!
These days, I'm quite happy, as a pretty good ball-striker, to use 'players CBs', though I do have a (great) set of Combos (7-PW are blades) that I deag out from time to time. The feel off the blades is hard to beat, but a small deviation from perfect can affect distance dramatically! And while blades might work almost all year round on links courses, where the rough flattens in Winter, Parkland courses can be a disaster area for blades in Winter - the longish damp rough grass exposes the 'deficiencies' of blades very badly!
If you look at the World's top players, a decreasing number are playing blades, and then often (like Rory) from something like 5-iron down.
All tht said, there's still something magic about a well struck shot with a blade. Having had a few conversations in the clubhouse about the comparitive merits, I bought a set of TP-9s cheaply from the original AG in Warrington, to practice with, when I ws working there. After the first strike I thought 'H'mm that felt very nice!' and by the 3rd, I was hooked on that feel!
Nowadays, the main thought is 'Why make a hard game harder?'!
The Ray Floyd blades are what I learnt to play with and still have them.
HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Back int he day Ben Sayers were still one of the UK@s best club makers and they were a fantastic set
Crow
Crow Person
Ben Sayers made at least two Ray Floyd models, the Power Ridged as shown in my post above, right side fourth down, and a more traditional set not too different from the Ben Sayers Silver Crest immediately below the Ray Floyd in the same picture.
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